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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Agrifood Forum: Innovative solutions for Caribbean-Pacific region

By Bob Aston

An opportunity worth
attending takes place in Bridgetown, Barbados from November 2-6, 2015. Some 250
leaders, decision-makers, and agrifood actors will be gathering for the first Caribbean-Pacific
Agri-Food Forum. A key event for both regions, the action packed week will
be devoted to exploring how an agribusiness approach can drive rural
development in small island states.

Agriculture is at a
crossroads in the Caribbean region. The end of preferential conditions for
exports of traditional commodities to the European Union has affected an
estimated 500,000 small-scale farmers. The Pacific region shares many of the
same challenges, including high food import bills, diseases linked to diet and
vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change.

The five-day event, with
a strong focus on action-oriented approaches and people-centered solutions,
will bring together a range of actors from the agrifood system to engage in
collective action that can help to spur innovative agricultural and rural
development – not just in the Caribbean, but also in Pacific small island
development states (SIDS).

The forum will consist of
12 workshops and meetings to run in parallel sessions during the first three
days. The workshops and meetings will cover areas that include building a
successful agribusiness company, youth entrepreneurship and social media,
inclusive value chain development, ICTs for fisheries, policy advocacy for
Caribbean and Pacific farmers' leaders, access to finance, strengthening the
link between agriculture and nutrition and successful initiatives to counter
climate change.

The last two days, the
2nd Agribusiness forum on strengthening the agrifood sector and expanding
markets will take place in plenary. Learning journeys, business networking and
side events on specific topics, will also take place before, during and after
the sessions.

The Agribusiness Forum
will highlight main drivers of agribusiness development and looking at business
successes in a range of areas affecting the local agrifood. Private sector
players, policy-makers, financial institutions, chefs, decision-makers, and
agri-business actors will mark the way forward. Participants will be able to
learn from successes, and explore new market opportunities with a special focus
on tourism-related markets.

A rich array of side
events planned throughout the week will showcase innovations in ICTs for value
chains, offer training in social media and Web 2.0 tools and examine
information, knowledge, and knowledge management resources to support youth
entrepreneurship and agribusiness start-up.

Immediately after the
Agribusiness Forum, A three-day learning journey of Pacific and Caribbean
experts will take place in Trinidad and Tobago with a focus on food processing,
branding, and standards. Key institutions and experts with experience with
significant capacity and experience in agro-enterprise development from various
centres of excellence will host the various visits.

Knowledge exchange will
be a central feature of all activities planned during and after the Caribbean-Pacific
Agri-Food Forum. Media coverage and social media reporting will communicate
broadly about the events. Follow the event live at #CPAF15 and #Intra_APP.

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